If you have kids on your shopping list, now is the time to act. Some toys are already in short supply.
The holiday shopping season is here, but now is not the time to procrastinate. There’s no toy shortage in general. However, supply chain issues are making it tough to find the hottest toys. Parade magazine recently listed toys that are getting harder to find. They include Tonka trucks, the Hot Wheels Monster Truck Playset, and Lego Super Mario Adventures. Steve Starobinsky, a longtime toy industry expert, says it's not all gloom and doom. More of those toys are slowly starting to arrive on retail shelves.
“Retailers have been generous in waving late fees and helping manufacturers import using their freight rate, and just being a lot more patient and understanding,” Starobinsky said.
He adds Christmas gift givers have some options in addition to the usual Amazon and eBay.
“Shopping your specialty retailers like Learning Express and there’s manufacturers’ websites too,” Starobinsky explained. “Shopify and platforms like that have allowed manufacturers to sell on ecommerce a lot easier.”